


The wrong door

by Aeris444



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 13:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2852168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeris444/pseuds/Aeris444
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin knew is wasn't a good idea but he needed to do it</p>
            </blockquote>





	The wrong door

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [](http://derenai.livejournal.com/profile)[derenai](http://derenai.livejournal.com/) for the beta!

Merlin was fuming. He knew that what he was going to do wasn’t the more mature thing he had done in his life. Though, he needed it. It was a way to let go of the bitterness, the sadness and the ache that had accompanied him for the last week.

As he waited for the lift, Merlin remembered the moment when Mordred had told him he was seeing someone else…

***

_“I’m sorry, Merlin… I wish things would have gone differently…”_

_“Sorry? You’re sorry for what exactly? For dumping me just before our anniversary? Or for cheating on me?”_

_“You don’t understand… I didn’t want to hurt you!”_

_“But you’ve done it nonetheless!”_

_Then, Merlin slapped Mordred in the face and left._

***

Merlin arrived at the fourth floor. The flat number 401 should be the one in front of him. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, a blond man opened the door. Merlin looked at him. He was blond, fit, tanned… Exactly Merlin’s opposite. Merlin didn’t know if it made it hurt more or if it was a relief that Mordred hadn’t left him for someone that looked like him.

“Hello? You are?” the blond man asked in the poshest accent Merlin had ever heard.

“I’m Merlin… But you probably don’t know me.”

Merlin had wished to stay calm and don’t let his anger and sadness take the upper hand but, of course, he failed spectacularly. Standing in front of the man who has stolen Mordred was too much. This man was responsible for the end of the best relationship Merlin had ever had.

“I suppose Mordred didn’t tell you about me!” Merlin continued, his anger showing through his tone.

“Modred?”

The blond man looked taken aback. Of course, he wasn’t expecting Merlin’s visit.

“Yeah, you know, the guy you’ve been shagging for the last month… The guy who appears to be my boyfriend, too! But I suppose you didn’t know that? Didn’t know that the cute and funny Mordred was a true bastard, cheating on his boyfriend of three years with you!”

Merlin barely breathed. He needed to let the steam out. He felt tears appears in his eyes but didn’t care.

“In your place, I’d be careful… He has cheated on me so what tells you he’ll not do it again with you? Of course, he looks so innocent with his big eyes and he’s so considerate… Since he started seeing you, I never had suspicion he was cheating on me you know! And then, one day, he came back and told me it was over between us!”

A sob interrupted Merlin’s ranting.

“Hum… I’m…” the blond tried to say but Merlin went back to his monologue.

“We would have been celebrating our fourth anniversary next month, you know! Four years! That should mean something, no? I deserved more than that! Oh, I understand why he was attracted to you as you’re clearly everything I’m not… But I thought his love for me would be enough to make him stay faithful… Seems I was wrong… And now I even wonder if he really loved me…”

Merlin’s voice broke down then and tears were falling on his face, unrestrained.

“Hum… I should tell you something, I think.”

“Don’t apologize… S’not your fault,” Merlin managed between two sobs.

“No, it’s clearly not as I don’t know any Mordred and I’m currently single.”

Merlin didn’t understand immediately but the blond man gently put his hand on Merlin’s shoulder and ushered him inside his flat.

“Wait… I don’t understand,” Merlin finally said when the blond man had led him toward the couch in the middle of the very posh living room.

“I think we should sit and you seems like you need a pick-me-up! Wait here!”

And the man disappeared. Merlin wasn’t sure what was going on. Shouldn’t he be offended to learn that Mordred was a cheater? Or angry at Merlin for coming to shout at him like that? Merlin was pretty sure that inviting him in his flat and offering him something to drink wasn’t a normal behavior.

The blond guy came back with two can of lagers.

“Sorry I haven’t anything stronger…”

“Thanks,” Merlin answered automatically.

“So… Hum… I guess you’ve been dumped recently and you think I’m the guy with whom that Mordred cheated on you?”

Merlin nodded.

“I’m not,” the blond guy answered.

“What?”

“I don’t know anybody named Mordred and I haven’t been with anyone for the past year so…”

And finally realization dawned on Merlin.

“You meen… I… You’re not…”

The blond guy shook his head, a little smile appeared on his smile.

“Looks like you’ve knocked on the wrong door.”

“Oh my God… I’m sorry…” Merlin started fidgeting. He had never felt so embarrassed in his whole life. “I thought… I knew it was a bad idea from the start but… Oh God… You must have thought I was an idiot…”

“A cute idiot,” the blond interrupted.

“What?”

“Sorry… It’s probably too soon.”

“Yeah but it’s still nice to hear.”

Merlin smiled for the first time that day.

“So… Hum… Shouldn’t we make proper introductions now?” the blond suggested, probably partly to break the awkwardness.

“Yeah it seems in order. Merlin!” Merlin said, holding out his hand.

“Arthur,” the blond answered, shaking Merlin’s hand. “So? Do you want to talk about all that or…”

“I wouldn’t want to bother you more than I already have.”

“You’re not… I must admit nothing so interesting had happened in my life for long!”

“You think my misfortune is interesting?” Merlin asked, teasing.

“No, no… But a cute guy like you knocking on my door certainly is…”

“It’s the second time you says I’m cute.”

“Because I think you are.”

Merlin blushed.

“Too soon,” he reminded Arthur.

“I’m a patient man.”

They smiled to each other and took a gulp of their lagers.

“So… If you want to tell me about Mordred, I can listen… And if you want to talk about something else, I’m sure we can find something.”

Merlin took a deep breath. It was perhaps better to talk about Mordred with a stranger. So he started… He told Arthur everything, from the start of their relationship to the night a week ago. And Arthur listened, asked questions, gave his thoughts to Merlin but never judged him.

In the end, Merlin stayed at Arthur for so long that the blond man suggested take-out. Merlin accepted without really thinking about it. It just felt right.

When he got back to his own flat later in the night, he knew that, when his break-up with Mordred wouldn’t hurt so much anymore, he would probably come back to Arthur’s and, who knew, stay there.


End file.
